Hydrocarbon-fuel-feeding apparatus.



No. 814,311. PATENTED MAR. 6, 1906. R. G. NELSON.

HYDROGARBON FUEL FEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION rmm was so. 1905.

die 20m Witnesses ventor Attorneys UNITED sTA rEs PATENT OFFICE.

HYDROCARBON-FUEL-FEEDING APPARATUS- Specification of Letters Patent.

ratented March 6, 1906.

Application fiied June 28, 3.9051 Serial No. 266,186.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REUBEN (J. Nelson,

a citizen of the United States, residingat,

Healdsburg,- in the county of Sonoma and State of California, have invented a new and useful Hydrocarbon-Fuel-Feeding Apparatus, of. which the following is a specification. This invention relates to apparatus for supplying hydrocarbon fuel to furnaces or stoves of various kinds, and has for its object to improve the construction and increase the efliciency and utility of devices of this class.

With these and other objects in view, which will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designating characters, is illustrated the preferred form of embodiment of the invention capable of carrying the same into practical operation, it being understood that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto, as various changes in the shape, proportions, and general assemblage of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the drawing the figure is a sectionai side elevation, somewhat in diagrammatic form, of the improved apparatus.

The improved ap aratus comprises in general a h drocarbonurner, a liquid-fuel supply lea in to said burner, a air of tanks independentfiy connected to t e fuel supply means, means for supplying water under ressure to said tanks, a heater connected into said fuel-supply between the tanks and burner, and means for supplying air under pressure to said burner.

The burner member may be of any of the various forms in common use wherein hydrocarbon combined with air or steam is employed as a fuel, and for the purpose of illustration a conventional form of a burner of this class is represented at 10, sup orted in a wall 11, representing afurnace-wal and hav ing a fuelsupply pipe 12 connected to an oilnozzle 13.

Disposed adjacent to the burner are two tanks 14 15, connected at the lower ends by branch pipes 16 17, supplied, respectively, with shut-off valves 18 19 and 20 21, and likewise connected at the upper ends by branch pipes 22 23 and supplied, respectively, with shut-0E valves 24 25 and 26 27, a Waste-pipe 54 leading from the branch ipe 17 between valves 20 21. A Water-supp y pipe 28 is connected into the'apparatus, and this supply may be from the ordinary street-mains, or a small pump may be required to produce the requisite pressure. The water-supply leads by a branch 29 into the pi e 16 and from thence into the bottom of t e tanks 14 15, the flow being controlled by the valves 18 19. The supply-pi e 30 for the liquid fuel ieads into the brane pipe 22 and thence into the tops of the tanks 14 15, the flow being controlled by the valves 24 25. The liquid fuel may be supplied from any source, such as a reservoir or tank placed at any distance, and, if required, a pump (indicated at 31) may be empioyed to provide the requisite pressure, the pipe 30 having a check-valve (represented at 32) to secure the action of the pump. The burner supplyipe 12 leads from the branch ipe 23, an a heater chamber or shell 33 is connected into the pipe 12, with a coil 34 of pipe leading through the shell, the coil receiving the exhaust steam from a pump, engine, or other source of supply, the urnp or engine not being shown, as they orm no art of the present invention. By this sim lb means the liquid fuei is heated to a consi erable extent before passing to the burner. Connected to the watersupply 28 is a branch 35, leading thence to a chamber 36, from which a'branch 37 leads to a-tank 38. Within the chamber 36 an airnozzle 39 is supported and has an inlet at 40, the nozzle pointing forwardl and disposed in advance of the iniet branc 35. Disposed above the tank 38 and communicating therewith is an airchamber 41, and leading from the airchamber is a pipe 42, terminating at the burner 10. A steamipe 43 also leads to the burner 10 and is supplied with a controllingvalve 44,- while simllar controlling-valves 45 46 are connected, respectively, into the airpipe 42 and fuel-supply pipe 12. Controling-valves 47 48 are likewise connected, respectively, into the water-supply pipe 28 and branch 37, as shown. The tank 38 is supplied with a waste-pipe 49, which is provided with a governor valve 50, while' the tanks 14 15 and 38 are supplied, respectively, with glass tube'gages 51 54, 52 55, and 53 to designate the stages of their contents. By this arrangement, as the Water under pressure passes throu h the chamber 36 and thence to the brane 37 and tank 38, a vacuum is created IIC I 50, the level in the tank 38 may be main- 'tained at a substantially uniform level, and thus produce a corres ondingly -uniform pressure in the air-chamiier and airipe.

In operation, it being assumed t at the tanks 14 and 15 are filled with water and valves 18 and 19 open and the remaining valves closed, the valves 18 and 19 are then closed and the valves 24, 25, 20, and 21 are 0 ened, allowing the water to .flow out t rough the pipe 54, while the oil under pressure asses t rough the pipe 30 and pi e 22 into 0th of the oil-tanks 14 and 15, t e oil taking the lace of the water. After the water-level as been lowered to a suflicient extent, as will be determined by the gages 54 and 55, the valves and 21 are closed and prevent the escape of any oil. The valves 24 25 are then closed and the valves 47 48 and one of the valves 18 and 26 or 19 and 27, as the case may be, opened, according as to which of tanks 14 or 15 is to be first used.

A water-pressure will thus be imparted to the fuel in one of the tanks and cause the same to flow through the ipe 12 to the burner 10, to whichit is a mitted by the controlling-valve 46, as hereinafter explained. The oil-fuel will of course remain above the water-line, which will rise as the oil is forced to the burner. In the meantime the water has been flowing into the tank 38 and carrying air with it through the air-nozzle 39 and creating anair-pressure in the chamber 41 and pi e 42, which is admitted to the burner throug the valve 45. Thus the requisite mixture of air and liquid fuel is obtained and the burner placed 1n condition for ignition when cold as the requisite airressure is obtained without the necessity or preliminary heating, as when steam is depend ed onmfor supplying the air. As soon as one tank14 or 15 isexhausted of oilas, for instance, the tank 15which will be indicated bythe gage member 52, the valves 19 and 27 are closed and the valves 18 and 26 opened, and the valve 21 also opened to permit the water in the tank 15 to flow out through the waste-pipe 54. The valve 25 is then opened to permit the tank 15 to fill again, and then when the tank 14 is exfore stated.

hausted the tank 15 is again connected to the burner and the tank 14 disconnected and em tied of water and again filled with oil, and so on indefinitely, there being no interruption to the supply of fuel while changing the tanks.

The device is thus particularly useful and convenient when em loyed in connection with ap aratus other t an steam-generators, but is a so a very valuable device for use in connection with steam-generatin apparatus, as by its use much labor an time are saved when first starting the burner, as be- The heater member 33 34 is also an important feature of the apparatus, as the fuel is heated to a relatively high degree before it reaches the burner and is therefore much more quickly vaporized than if it reached the burner in cold condition. The use of the heater thus produces a material economizing of both fuel and labor, as will be obvious.

A very com lete and simpl constructed apparatus is t us produced W rich is not dependent upon pumps or other similar means for creating pressure, but dependence is had entirely upon gravity to secure the desired results.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is- In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a pair of oil-tanks, of an oil-supl pipe having valved connections with hot tanks, a water-discharge pipe having valved connections with the lower ends of both tanks, a Water-pressure supply ipe having valved connections with the lhwer ends of the tanks, a service-pipe having valved connections with the up er ends of both tanks, and through which t e oil in said tanks is forced, a burner with which said pipe communicates, a heating device connected in the service-pipe, a water-actuated air-injector, a separating-tank into which said injectordischarges,a compressedair tank or reservoir above the separatingtank, and serving to receive the air therefrom, an air-supply pipe leading from the tank or reservoir to the burner and having a governing-valve, a discharge-pipe leading rom the air and water separating tank, and a steam-pi e, also, having a valved connection with t e burner.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

REUBEN C. NELSON ICO 

